Tuesday, July 7, 2009

Hello my lovelies! How are you all doing? I know I am a slacker! Forgive me! :)

Did anyone see Michael Jackson's Memorial at the Staples Center? I thought it was such a sweet tribute to the King of Pop, and the montage of him and his daughter's words brought me to tears. I am an 80's baby, and I grew up loving his songs, watching "Thriller" over and over again- my favorite song is "Rock with you", and it's definitely one of those songs you turn up in the car! It's sad we lost a legend so soon...I didn't realize how close his parents' house was to my work, literally like 5 minutes away. Of course the streets are blocked due to the overwhelming crowds, but I hope he knows how much people loved him and his music. :)

So I had a reader question ask me what the difference was between the MAC Fix+ Spray and the Model in a Bottle, the MAC Fix+ spray in a nutshell is a simple concoction of water, glycerin, and witch hazel (among other things), but mainly is a refreshing water spray that I personally use to mix with facial masks or even the Ly-Na Pearl Cream, or even just as a refresher on a hot day. Sometimes I also use it on my beauty blender sponge to apply my mineral foundation wet or to thin out liquid foundation. The Model in a Bottle is an actual setting spray that doesn't budge your makeup, it mattifies it and sets it so there is no need for touch-ups throughout the day. You spray it on over your makeup a few inches away from your face (eyes closed), and let it dry. It may feel sticky at first but goes away and then feels like normal. Great for hot days! I will try and do a comparison soon (with and without it). You'll notice your makeup lasts a lot longer than without!

Anyway, at the Makeup Show LA months ago, I picked up the Parian Spirit Brush Cleaner, at the shows the Parian Spirit Brush Cleaner Kit is only $20 and includes the canister with the grate, 2 brush cleaning wipes for traveling or on the go, a travel size spray, and a large 16oz. bottle that will last you a long time!

The grate itself is removable, and you clean your brushes against this for thorough cleaning. You can then clean the jar and grate when you are done and let it dry for next time. The best part about this brush cleaner is that it dries you brushes IMMEDIATELY. No waiting needed (except larger brushes such as buffer or face brushes as these might take longer to dry). The scent itself is citrus, nothing atrocious.

Product: 4 out of 5Packaging: 5 out of 5Quality: 5 out of 5Overall: 5 out of 5Price: Varies, can buy individuallyWould I buy again? YesWhere to buy? Various stores online, such as makeupmania.com, alcone.com, etc.PROS:- Cleans brushes quickly and thoroughly, dries immediately.- Canister comes with a grate to help clean your brushes, washable and re-usable.- The show kit/price comes with a lot for $20, and the 16oz. bottle will last you awhile!- Canister is easy to travel with, great for makeup artists.- Has a travel size (2oz) spray.CONS:- I am not too fond of the citrus smell (that goes for everything even oranges! I hate citrus-y scents for some weird reason)- Canister itself isn't too big, therefore cannot clean huge face brushes.

Overall: It's currently my favorite brush cleaner, and it's unique. Very easy to clean brushes on a whim and I LOVE that it dries my brushes as quickly as I take it out and pat it on a paper towel. It's not damp- it's completely dry. Definitely recommend!

I heard about this on Specktra and wanted to purchase it but never seen it in photos. Thanks for the review.

I did hear it's not good to use that particular product often though because it'll stiffin or change the softness of brushes over time. Like, you use it only when you need to really clean the brushes quickly or between clienteles. Dunno. From what I've read.

that looks like an awesome brush cleaner. does it compare to the other brush cleaner from the one at Micheal's? I forgot the name of it but it has the blue sponge. I'm using that right now and so far I like it but this one looks like it does the trick too. thnx for the review (:

I LOVE Parian Spirit! I met up with him @ IMATS and also took home the kit. It's fantastic stuff! The fact that it dries so quickly was what really sold me on it. For my bigger brushes I just use the spray and wipe them clean when I'm in a hurry.

Yeah, and who told you to buy it??? LOL. Funny you should do this post - I just did a Brush Cleaning 101 post, complete with Parian Spirit! I use that glass jar daily for my eyeshadow brushes, then rinse them in water (that will lessen the strong scent to nearly nothing). The wipes are great for duo fiber brushes; no getting the black dye from the goat hair running into the white fiber optics (there's a pic of my skunk brush using the wipes).

For the big brushes, however, I don't clean those daily since it's usually my foundation and finishing powder brushes that don't involve daily color changes. For those, it's Dr. Bronner's :)

Hi Angela- It's the solution, its hard to find a full list of its ingredients but its made of natural citrus oils and once you take it out of the jar its still wet, but when you wipe it on a paper towel it's completely dry, the brush does not absorb the cleaner so you are able to use it right away without having to wait hours till it dries..

Hi Tina- They both work great, the one from Michaels has a bigger jar, but you have to replace the sponge after awhile (which is still no biggie since they are relatively cheap!), and the Parian Spirit comes in a smaller canister which is easier to wash brushes with shorter handles and comes with the plastic grate which also effectively removes makeup from the brushes. The only thing I like about the Parian Spirit is that there's isn't a wait time till your brushes are dry again you can literally use your brushes right after!

I purchased this when I was in LA - there's this awesome beauty shop on Melrose Ave. I bought the 8 oz bottle to test it out. Now I regret not buying the 32 oz bottle! This stuff is absolutely AMAZING! I used it on my foundation brush which usually takes me 5 tries to clean - with the Parian Brush Cleaner, it took me 2 tries and it was clean as heck - no residue - and the bristles were as soft as when I got them!

It looks really handy, but is the formula quite harsh? I've read that MAC's brush cleanser is quite harsh on your brushes so I am looking for something a bit kinder:-)Nina (thelatestgloss.blogspot.com)

Hello from Sunny So Cal! I used to use Cinema Secrets, but discovered Parian Spirits at IMATS and have been hooked since. The products I use are semi-permanent and sometimes the color technology can be difficult to remove; not with PS! Plus, I LOVE the citrus smell. Thanks for your time, Hugs, Kelly@CelebrityLipstick.com

Contact Me

I apologize in advance if there is a delay in response as we often get swamped with emails and of course I have a real job and life in general.

***Please DO NOT take pictures from this site without permission. Please be considerate and shoot me an email if you wish to use my pictures, and no hot linking. This website is copyrighted.***

Disclaimer:

I am just a makeup-loving junkie who enjoys writing about beauty products and random stuff about my life and experiences. I am not by any means a "guru" or a makeup artist. I just love writing in general. All my product reviews and opinions expressed here on my blog, are that of my own and are based on MY own personal experience with that product, including those sent to me courtesy of a company that sends me one to review.

Any personal information will NOT be given out and is merely used to enter contests on my site.Everyone is different and like with ANY product PLEASE use the products mentioned in this blog at your discretion and with caution.